Mel
by fragmentalis
Summary: Ken had given Melina more than Dave ever had, but she still went back to him. While Ken and Melina struggle to maintain an awkward friendship, Ken has to deal with unreciprocated feelings of regret, or so he thinks. Kennedy x Melina x Batista
1. I Never Loved Her

**Mel**

**A/N:** Three cheers for my shortest story title ever. LOL. You'll understand it as you read. I decided to make another Mr. Kennedy/Melina fic, because I just love them. I'm also starting to like Mr. Kennedy/Mickie James after their mixed tag match on Raw this past week. I'm starting to think I ship Mr. Kennedy with a bunch of Divas. . He's just the kind of person who is interesting with anybody because of his personality. I can't really explain it, so...on with the story! Just a little side-note, this fic has nothing to do with 'Corrupt Little Butterfly', it's its own little story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the WWE or any of the Superstars who appear in this story.

**Summary:** Ken had given Melina more than Dave ever had, but she still went back to him. While Ken and Melina struggle to maintain an awkward friendship, Ken has to deal with unreciprocated feelings of regret, or so he thinks. Kennedy x Melina x Batista

!#&()+

"So, that's it? She just went back to Dave just like that?" Adam Copeland, better known as the WWE Superstar Edge, asked the man who was finally regaling him as well as others with the story of the girl who got away.

Ken Anderson, A.K.A. Mr. Kennedy, nodded and sat down opposite him, while the rest of the pack joined them at the table. They were in the canteen of the Staples' Center of Los Angeles, preparing for yet another edition of Monday Night Raw. Los Angeles just so happened to be the hometown of said girl who got away.

"Did she give you a reason?" Randy Orton asked, genuinely interested in his friend's love life.

"Said she wanted to try to be friends with me. She didn't think I was 'relationship material', whatever the hell that means," Ken replied, crossing his arms on the table. Jeff Hardy scoffed at this.

"What the hell ever, man. You gave her everything she wanted. Plus, Dave can be a real asshole. It's only a matter of time before she comes running back to you," he said, to which Ken shook his head.

"I don't think so. I've seen her a few times and she looks fine. Happy, I mean," he lamented, correcting himself rather quickly.

"Yeah, I'm sure you meant happy," Randy chuckled, swatting Ken on the back.

Normally, he would've laughed with Randy, but instead, he just sighed sadly. Everyone knew that he hadn't been himself since he and Melina had split up.

"Guess she didn't leave soon enough. She stayed around long enough to warp my brain into actually caring about her, and then she left with some half-ass excuse," he spat, clenching his fists in a silent and secret rage.

"So, she hurt you," Jeff concluded, acting as the in-touch-with-his-feelings member of the group they knew him to be.

"No, I'm not hurt," Ken shot back, not wanting his pride or reputation damaged by admitting it.

"Of course you are. She was more than just a pretty face to you. You were in love with her, and you still are," Jeff continued, and the rest of the guys knew he would keep prodding Ken until he got mad and left the table.

"No, I'm not..." Ken chuckled, before trailing off to actually think about what Jeff had said.

"Well, if you won't admit it to us, then I know damn well you never told Melina you loved her. That _right there_ is what made her go back to Dave," Randy joined in, resting his chin atop his hand.

"I never told her because I never loved her," Ken retorted, becoming very annoyed by his friends, which happened at an alarming rate.

"There's a difference between not telling her because you don't love her, and not telling her because you're afraid she'll think you're a pussy. Either option would have screwed you over, but we all know it was the second one," Adam laughed, ceasing holding back his true opinion.

"You guys are pissing me off," Ken exclaimed, before finally deciding he'd had enough and getting up. He heard his fellow Superstars laughing behind him, but he continued his beeline for the hallway.

He opened the door to the canteen and walked right into another person. He was just about to go ape on the person, yelling at them to watch where they were going, but he saw a thicket of curly, bright red hair, and instantly halted himself.

Before him stood the object of the conversation he'd just had: Melina Perez. He looked straight into her eyes, before quickly looking at the floor, not daring to look back. She smiled at him with the smile he used to love for its burning quality, but now hated for the same reason.

To be honest, it hurt like hell to see her. His eyes started at her shoes, and traveled all the way back up to the top of her head. Every inch of her skin, the taste of her lip gloss and the smell of her shampoo...they were all engraved in his memory, not to be lost for a second, much to his dismay.

He hated thinking about her, and yet he did it all the time. He couldn't shake the regret of all the things she'd deserved to hear, but that he had never told her. He could've prevented her from leaving if he had really tried, but what about her?

She had done many things wrong in their relationship as well. She talked about Dave constantly and remained close with him, though she knew it made Ken uncomfortable. She would always compare the Green Bay native to the Animal, and Dave usually won.

Melina broke his thoughts by finally speaking, hoping to herself that it would vaporize the tension, but it only made it worse.

"Um...hi Ken," she greeted him quietly, fidgeting with her fingers distractedly.

"Hey, Mel..." Ken said back, not knowing where the conversation would lead, and a bit hesitant of continuing it at all. Melina giggled, in a way that turned his insides to chewing gum. He hated it when she laughed. Well...actually, he hated that he loved it.

"Hey now. You know you're not supposed to call me that. That's Dave's nickname for me," she teased him. Uh-oh. Big, big mistake.

Ken looked bowled over by her joke, and he didn't give a damn if she was being serious or not. It was those kind of things that sent Ken into a storm of vehemence.

"Excuse me? Hell no. I gave you that nickname, and I'd appreciate it if you told your big, bad 'roid head of a boyfriend to stop calling you that. I reserve the right to call you that. You could at least let me have that since you took everything else," Ken yelled at her, which ended with her having tears in her eyes and her mouth wide open in shock.

Shockingly, this was how most of their conversations ended. Her crying, and him feeling like he had been kicked repeatedly in the stomach for making her cry.

"I was only joking with you. And what the hell are you talking about? What did I ever take from you?!" She screamed back at him. She wasn't too shy to get just as loud as him.

"You! You took _you_ away from me. And it pisses me off, because now you're inside my head all the time and you completely destroyed my ability to think straight!" Ken shot back, inching closer to her face in order to intimidate her. It didn't work, just as he expected.

"Well, maybe I would've stayed with you if you had acted like you actually wanted me around! You were always with your friends and you didn't give a damn about me!" Melina shrieked, her Latina fire erupting in her voice.

"That's a lie and you know it! I loved you," Ken argued, his tone softening after he realized what he'd said. Everything he had denied to his friends minutes earlier...it was all true, and he hadn't even known it until he saw her again.

"Well, you had a very odd way of showing it. You never once told me you loved me while we were together," Melina stated, her voice calming down as well, most likely from the shock of his affirmation.

"Because I didn't wanna lose focus of everything else...I didn't wanna get so into you that I just gave up on everything else," Ken replied, almost as though he were thinking to himself in a confused manner.

"I should've came before everything else. I should've been most important," Melina said, crossing her arms in a defensive way.

"Well, hopefully Dave will cow tow to your every whim, because I'm done trying to please you. Forget about friendship or even being pleasant every time we see each other. I love you too damn much to pretend I support you with someone else, especially that asshole," Ken responded, an ardor burning in his eyes that Melina had never seen before. She gaped at him, as he passed by her with a swift stride, bumping her shoulder lightly as he went.

Those words...the look in his eyes. She had never seen him so passionate. Had she made a mistake?

She felt a presence behind her, and she turned her head to see Mickie James standing there. She had just emerged from the canteen, and Melina could tell by Mickie's expression that she'd heard the whole ordeal.

"Damn, girl. Why in the hell did you leave him?" Mickie implored, staring down the hall at Ken, who was still walking.

"I...don't know," Melina answered honestly, her eyes dropping to the floor pensively.

"Soo...he's single now, right?" Mickie inquired, standing akimbo.

Melina gave her friend a cold stare and a loud sigh, before turning around and continuing the route to her destination: the canteen.

**A/N:** OOOH. The drama. You could cut it with a knife. I only just decided to add the part with Mickie at the end. I thought it was funny, personally. This fic just kinda flowed from me easily, unlike 'Corrupt Little Butterfly', thank goodness. I want you all to know that I don't hate 'Corrupt Little Butterfly', I just had a hard time writing it. I like the finished product xD

**Nikks (Nikki)**


	2. The Call To Vince

**Mel**

**Chapter 2 - The Call To Vince**

**A/N:** Okay...'Mel' was originally only supposed to be a one-shot but, :cheesy grin: I just couldn't resist... c: Expect a fic filled with drama, confrontations, and Mr. Kennedy saying his name randomly every few seconds. _Ugh_, okay. I guess I'll have to ax that last part in order to make the drama worth a damn. LOL. Enough comedy, on with the story!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own WWE, and if I did, the storylines wouldn't be as crappy as they are now. I bet you hear that a lot, don't you?

**Chapter Summary:** Melina makes the mistake of mentioning her run-in with Ken to Dave: the first stop on a downward spiral.

!#&()+

Melina slid her forefinger under her eye to wipe away some more mascara that had found its way there, simultaneously wiping her nose with a tissue. She knew she cried too easily, but there was one thing that separated her from anyone else who had ever shed a tear. She wept with an intensity and anger not found very often, and for no reason other than that it was in her nature to do everything with intensity and anger.

She had arrived back at the hotel room she shared with Dave, realizing at the arena she'd left her ring gear there and proceeding to hurry back and get it. She blamed her forgetfulness on her recent thoughts of her ex-boyfriend, Ken, finally admitting to herself that she'd been thinking of him long before their earlier confrontation at the Staples' Center. She assumed Dave would not be in the hotel room, knowing full-well he had an obsession with fitness centers and would, undoubtedly, be at one.

She hurried to the bathroom where she knew her ring gear to be, and as she collected her things, a golden glint from near the sink caught her eye. She gazed over at what appeared to be a gold chain from a necklace. Melina let herself smile briefly as the memory of the day she'd received the necklace came flooding back into her head. Ken had given it to her after the first time she'd won the WWE Women's Championship.

"A little gold to go with your gold," he had said, before kissing her softly, like he actually wanted to be with her.

Melina frowned at the way things seemingly started to go downhill after that, and shook the thoughts from her mind to prevent any further contemplation of the past. She made haste to leave the bathroom, but stopped short in the doorway. She bit her lip in a way that insinuated she was deliberating something.

She sighed and finally turned back to the sink, taking the chain and scrupulously placing it in the side-pocket of her gym bag. She turned back around, slowly this time, and was met by a sight that frightened her, for reasons she couldn't pin down with words.

Dave Bautista stood there, staring her down, as though he were trying to figure out something about her. His massive size intimidated many people, herself included, which was something she had never experienced with Ken.

"Hey," she attempted to say in a bubbly voice, hoping to hide what was wrong.

"You've been crying. What happened?" He asked shortly, to which tears flickered back into her eyes. She shifted her feet uncomfortably, and hoisted her bag up higher on her shoulder. She hadn't wanted to tell him...

"I-I just saw Ken a while ago...We had a little argument. Nothing major," Melina answered, hoping her simple answer would prevent Dave from finding Ken and kicking his ass. Dave scoffed at her, which she was not expecting.

"Mel, I tried to tell you your little friendship thing with him wouldn't work out, but now you need to listen to me. You should probably just stay away from him from now on. Avoid him in the hallways and everything. I'll be sure to let Vince know that booking the two of you in the same matches or anything related is out of the question. I'm about to take off for the gym, and I'll be back later. You know where to find me," he explained, before leaving without another word.

Melina stared after him, her eyes wide and her mouth open. Was that his subtle way of forbidding her to see Ken? Dave's disinterest in her situation sent a shiver down her spine in the oddest way, but she rarely responded normally to anything.

She just grabbed her cell phone and headed out as well, except, she was en route to the arena. She hoped Dave was either kidding or not serious about her not being able to see Ken, because her life without him seemed quite hard to imagine. His voice, his facial expressions, his telling green eyes. How long would she be able to go without seeing him before it affected her?

!#&()+

As Dave Bautista exited his tan rental car in the parking lot of the local fitness center, his mind was in a rush, as he pondered his options for the Ken and Melina predicament. He then decided to take out his cell phone and take the first step in making sure Ken and Melina would never see each other, and that was in calling Vince McMahon. It didn't take a genius to know where Ken and Melina's continued communication would lead them.

Vince picked up on the second ring, but he sounded busy, with all his preparations for Raw.

"Hey Vince, it's Dave. Sorry to bother you, but I needed to go over a couple of things with you," Dave informed his boss, who sounded slightly less than interested.

"Uh...yeah, sure Dave," he replied, the sound of computer keys clicking in the background.

"Well, Melina and Ken have been having some problems, lately, and I'd appreciate it if you kept them out of the ring at the same time. In fact, I'd like it if they'd just steer clear of each other altogether, if it's not too much to ask," Dave pleaded, trying not to let his desperation for keeping them apart show.

"Well, Dave, I'm not really sure I can do that. Ken and Melina have great chemistry as partners in the ring as well as outside the ring, and the fans love them together. Not only can I not keep them from being booked in the same matches, but they actually have a mixed tag team match tonight against Jillian and Ted DiBiase's boy," Vince declared, igniting a frenzy in his employee.

"But--" Dave began, but the proud Chairman cut him off.

"Sorry, Dave. I'm gonna have to stand my ground on this one. If either Ken or Melina come to me asking for what you're asking, then I'll be happy to oblige. But, so far, they have not, so the match is still on. I have a lot to do before the show tonight, so I'll have to talk to you later," Vince finished, before hanging up on Dave.

Vince chuckled to himself after putting the phone down. The mixed tag match was just something off the top of his head, because it annoyed him when the "jealous boyfriends" of the WWE called and complained to him about these sorts of things. He'd never even put it on the card, but he stopped his actions to muse for a moment about the match.

It was certainly worth being included in the show, and it was true that the fans had a soft spot for the loudmouth character of Mr. Kennedy and the oftentimes malicious Melina in the same ring. Well, it was decided. The match _would_ take place. Impromptu it may have been, but that wasn't going to influence Vince's decision in the slightest.

What Vince wasn't thinking about was how Ken and Melina would react to the match.

**A/N:** Is it just me? Or does Batista seem like he'd be abusive? Believe me, the guy is an asshole. Ask anyone who has ever met him. Please note that I'm going by real-life names here, and 'Bautista' is how he spells it outside of wrestling. 'Batista' is just his stage name. Hopefully, you enjoyed that little diddy. xD

**Nikks**


	3. Last Minute Decision

**Mel**

**Chapter 3 - Last Minute Decision**

**A/N:** I figured I'd get a jump on this chapter, because I'm eager to write this fic. I actually enjoy writing this one because I have so many ideas for it. I guess we'll see how it plays out. :D

**Dislcaimer:** Is John Cena still in the title picture? Then no, I don't own WWE.

**Chapter Summary:** The big mixed tag team match brings along some mixed feelings. Ken feels it is a huge imposition, while Melina considers it a chance to prove to Dave that he's not in charge of her. Throw in the possible stirring up of an old romance, and nobody's going to be happy.

!#&()+

Ken Anderson, who was currently transforming into the brazen Mr. Kennedy, laced up his wrestling boot, trying to shake the thought of his confrontation with Melina a couple of hours earlier.

"Who needs her?" He asked himself, turning his attention to the other boot. But, as he felt his anger rising again, he caught himself this time. She was actually attempting to be nice to him, and he had yelled at her, so maybe he was to blame for the fight earlier.

"Hey, Ken?" A voice came through the door, followed by a mess of blonde hair. Ken recognized the woman as one of the stagehands that he had befriended no sooner than he had been drafted to Raw.

"Hey, Kris. What's up?" He asked politely, glad for the momentary distraction.

"Vince told me to come give this to you. It's a playout of your match tonight," she responded, handing him a white sheet of paper.

"I already have a playout of my match tonight," he replied, confused, but taking the paper nonetheless. Kris suddenly looked surprised and a bit uncomfortable.

"You mean Mr. McMahon didn't tell you? Your scheduled match has been changed. It was a last minute decision. Instead of a single's match against Ted DiDiase Jr., you're going to be in a mixed tag team match against him and Jillian," she informed him, to which he groaned and sat back down on the bench.

"The match is in twenty minutes! How am I going to be able to learn all this by then? And...wait a second. Who's my partner going to be?" Ken questioned her, suddenly becoming suspicious.

"It's been pushed back to a later timeslot to give you time to go over it with everyone. You have about an hour. And, your partner is going to be Melina," Kris answered, clutching her clipboard to her chest and exiting before things got more dramatic.

Ken sighed and placed his head in his hands. He knew this would not go over well. Annoyed, he ripped the sheet up off the bench and headed out the door to find the other three involved.

He found them having a chat with Maria, who was the first one to notice Ken and the look on his face. She excused herself quickly, saying something about leaving the stove on in her dressing room.

"There's no stoves in our dressing rooms," Jillian called after her, emitting a slight giggle. Maria notioned to Ken, causing Jillian to stop laughing.

Melina and Ted looked to see Ken too, and Melina gained an irritated expression at the fact that Ken had just chased Maria off with his bad attitude. Of course, his attitude was nothing compared to the chilling indifference of Dave, last she saw of him.

"No need to get upset. It's just a match," she scolded him, not nearly as crestfallen by the news as he was.

"Yeah. Just a match that just so happened to appear on the card 'bout three seconds ago. It doesn't just happen, Mel," Ken stated, to which she gave a dry chuckle.

"Why don't you just cut to the chase of whatever you're accusing me of?" She replied, strangely calm.

"No, I'm not accusing you of anything. No. I'm just saying it's weird. Somebody must've said something about what happened earlier," Ken continued, the fast-talking of his alter ego making a sudden appearance.

"What is this thing I must've said?" Melina inquired, still assuming he thought it was her doing.

"You tell me," he answered, taking a step closer to her.

This little debate was taking a quick ride towards the way their earlier conversation ended, so Melina decided to try to end it.

"If I had complained about what happened earlier, why would Vince have put us in a match on the same team?" She implored him, hoping he would see that she was right and stop arguing with her.

Apparently, it worked, because he stammered for a few seconds, but never formed an actual sentence after that. Jillian and Ted watched on in a mix of perplexity and amusement.

"I, for one, am not angry about this match. Then again, I have some self-restraint and don't get mad every time I don't get my way," Melina muttered, clasping her hands together in mockery.

"Are you kidding? That's all you do," Ken shot back, feeling a sense of satisfaction at the abrupt hurt look on her face.

Jillian Fletcher, better known as Jillian Hall, decided to be the voice of reason.

"Hey, come on guys! We have a match to go over. You guys are supposed to win, if it makes you feel any better..." Jillian attempted to persuade them. She and her character were quite a contrast. Jillian Hall was a loud, arrogant poor excuse for a person, while Jillian Fletcher was quite sweet and soft-spoken.

"Fine by me. Like I said, I don't have a problem having this match. If anything, it should get back at Dave--" Melina rambled, before realizing she'd released a bit of information she had hoped to keep personal and cutting herself off.

The pained look that followed insinuated something mysterious to Ken. What did any of this have to do with Dave? Had he done something to her? And was it Ken's fault?

"What about Dave? What did he do?" Ken asked, closing in on Melina as she backed closer to the wall.

"Nothing. And what happens between Dave and I is none of your concern, anymore," she responded, in an icy tone that made Ken's stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot.

She was hiding something and he knew it, but he knew she'd never tell him about it. Ken dropped the issue momentarily and looked back to Jillian and Ted who were examining the playout sheet for their match.

They both had disturbed looks on their faces, that soon turned to grins. Melina noticed this, as well.

"What? What is it?" Melina asked them, bracing herself to hear whatever had them so entertained. Jillian struggled to stop laughing long enough to inform them of what she and Ted were reading.

"Oh my God. This says that after you pick up the win...M-Melina, you're supposed to kiss Ken!" Jillian roared, before breaking into even more laughter with Ted.

Ken threw a shocked look toward Melina who shared his sentiments. He noted the way her eyes, which had been surrounded by a thin line of shimmering, white eyeshadow, shifted anxiously around the room.

Was there fear in her eyes? And, if so, what was she afraid of? He had no time to be angry about the kiss. There was something seriously wrong with Melina, and he intended to find out what.

**A/N:** Sorry so short, but I got the point across. :) Oh, and wish me luck, everyone! After some preparation, I'm going to be attending KYDA Pro Wrestling Training to get some training and hopefully, one day, I'll achieve my dream of becoming a professional wrestler! It's a good school, because it's the same one Mickie James graduated from! We're from the same area, so maybe I'll get to tangle in the ring with her, someday.

**Nikks**


	4. The Match

**Mel**

**Chapter 4 - The Match**

**A/N:** Aw...you guys are so awesome xD I'm glad you're all liking this so far. I didn't really think it'd go over this much! Anyway, thanks again, and sorry this chapter took so long!

**Disclaimer:** Kennedy and Melina are not in an official storyline, so I must not have any input in WWE. I also don't own the Ramada Inn. By the way, one of my awesome readers and reviewers 'annskieesofresh' has coined the term 'Kelina'. Cute, right? xD Kennedy/Melina's official name.

**Chapter Summary:** The match was settled, the kiss: not so much. Ken and Melina go out and put on a good show, but how much of it is really just acting? Meanwhile, someone watching Raw isn't very happy.

!#&()+

The four Superstars, Ken, Melina, Ted and Jillian, stood nervously near the gorilla position, also known as the area near the curtain heading out to the ring.

"So, we all set then? We all know what to do out there?" Ted asked the rest of them, to which they all nodded.

They normally weren't nervous about having a match, but then again, they normally had more than an hour to prepare. They had no time for practice or warm-ups. The only thing they knew was what was on that piece of paper.

Ted and Jillian headed out first, to Jillian's entrance music oddly enough, followed by Ken and Melina.

When the crowd heard the obnoxious sound of "Kennedayy!" that started off Kennedy's entrance music, they cheered loudly for the duo that entered the arena. Ken and Melina didn't dare to look at each other, no matter how odd they appeared in doing so, and simply walked to the ring, playing to the crowd positively.

Melina did her signature split and entered the ring, a smile plastered on her face despite her inexplicable apprehension. Ken entered behind her, trying to hide a grin. He couldn't deny that her splits were still cute as hell, regardless of what had happened in the past.

They returned fake glares sent out by Ted and Jillian, and climbed up opposite turnbuckles to acknowledge the crowd further.

Melina and Jillian remained in the ring to start out the match, with Melina getting the upperhand first, applying a collar and elbow tie up before wrenching Jillian's arm behind her back.

Jillian athletically cartwheeled out of it and countered with a kick to the stomach. Melina bounced off the ropes with a clothesline and the crowd cheered her on all the while.

A few exchanged punches and kicks here and there, and Jillian elected to tag in Ted, who made a run at Melina. But, seeing as it was a mixed tag team match and not an intergender tag team match, Mr. Kennedy jumped in and caught Ted off guard with a crossbody.

When he finally recovered, Ken flew at him with a Thesz press and delivered countless hammering blows to his face. When Mr. Kennedy finally left the mounted position and Ted was able to regain some of his composure, he took the easy way out with a thumb to Mr. Kennedy's eye.

This sent Mr. Kennedy back into the turnbuckle, where he was left temporarily unable to see. After rebounding from the corner, Ted caught him with a sleeper hold. Mr. Kennedy began to struggle out of it, the crowd clapping and stomping in support, and he finally countered the hold with a swinging neckbreaker.

Finally, after getting up, Ted came at Mr. Kennedy again, who caught Ted with a kick to the mid-section. Just as Kennedy was preparing for his signature move, the Mic Check, Jillian took it upon herself to enter the ring and distract Mr. Kennedy from doing so. As she looked ready to sing him a song, she ended up eating boot, courtesy of Melina, who had appeared behind Mr. Kennedy.

Melina picked Jillian back up and Kennedy did so as well with Ted DiBiase. Simultaneously, Melina and Mr. Kennedy hit their finishers on their opponents. Kennedy hit the Mic Check and Melina lifted her leg and dropped Jillian to the mat with her split-legged pin.

The two Superstars with contrasted hair colors clasped hands, as the referee counted to three and they obtained a victory. They both eased up into a standing position, huge smiles on their faces at what had just happened. Melina was only doing so because Ken was smiling at her and it proved to be infectious. The referee raised their arms due to their success, and the duo couldn't seem to look away from each other.

As the referee let go of their hands, Ken acted in such a way that a fan might confuse for overwhelming happiness at their victory. He'd grabbed the sides of Melina's face gently and planted an intense kiss on her slightly parted lips, ignoring the fact that he'd elicited a rowdy response from the Los Angeles crowd.

Melina just stood there dumbfounded, not making any effort to respond to the kiss in any way. As Ken pulled away from her, looking strangely disappointed at her lack of reaction, Melina put on her best look of shock, no one realizing that it was actually fear she was feeling. Truth be told, she had wanted to respond in a very explicit way to the kiss, and it wasn't a negative way.

But she knew she couldn't, because she and Ken were over and there was no point in sending out any mixed signals. 'You wanted to kiss him back. You two aren't entirely over,' a voice said from the back of her mind. While she was having this debate with herself, Ken had exited the ring, not daring to look back at her.

Melina decided to head backstage as well, all the while praying to God that Dave had missed Raw by some miracle on her part. She had two options: She could follow Ken and they could have a long, awkward discussion about what had just happened and she could deny that she had any feelings for him; or, she could head to the women's locker room, pack her stuff, and get the hell back to the hotel.

Needless to say, she picked option two, and as soon as she reached the women's locker room, she regretted it.

There, in a chair in front of the TV monitor sat Dave, who had his head down and couldn't bring himself to look at Melina. The sight of him in this state made her jump in surprise. She looked from him to the TV a couple of times before sighing.

"One of the more disappointing episodes of Raw..." Dave trailed off, still not giving her the satisfaction of a glance.

"Look, if you watched it, then you saw that he kissed me! I didn't kiss him," Melina replied, crossing her arms and feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Well, I didn't see you push him away," he stated, finally looking up at her with dark eyes. Melina couldn't exactly be truthful on that subject, because the truth was, she had to struggle so hard not to kiss Ken back, that she hadn't the brain power, nor the energy to push him away.

"It was on the playout sheet. I was just doing my job," she answered, finally settling on what to say.

"I don't give a damn what you were doing. You should've said no. Last time I checked, you were in a relationship with me. You're mine, not his. Those lips are _mine_," Dave shot back, getting up from the chair and in her face.

"Actually, my lips are mine. They're on my face making them _mine_," Melina retorted, trying her hardest not to show that she was intimidated.

Dave pursed his lips together as a sinister thought flashed in his mind. 'If you don't shut up and stop talking back to me, your lips will be bleeding.'

Dave's eyes widened, as did Melina's. He saw her tears form, and he squeezed his eyes tightly, breathing loudly. It hadn't just been a thought...he'd accidentally shared that thought with her.

"Mel," Dave started, wanting to make quick with the apology.

"Just stay away from me," she responded, in a voice that was barely there. She reached for her duffel bag which was conveniently on the bench right next to her, and backed away from him. She hurried out of the door quickly, hoping to catch someone who was still in the arena.

She had no idea where her friends and fellow Divas were, and she didn't just want to bunk with some strange guy that she barely knew. All she knew was she couldn't stay with Dave after what had just transpired. Every time she thought about going back to the hotel and being alone with him, her stomach lurched and she felt like she was going to get sick.

She found an empty closet with a lock on it to change in, and she simply chose a pair of tattered sweat pants and a hoodie that didn't match them in any way. She didn't look like the A-list, Hollywood Diva that she had been christened, but at that moment, she couldn't have cared less. After changing, she left the closet and set out again in her search for someone who was staying at a hotel near the area.

Melina felt her feet getting weary, as she hadn't had a chance to sit down since her match, and finally took a seat in a dark area under some non-functional stage lights. She didn't particularly want to be found or interact with anyone, but she knew she didn't have a choice. If she couldn't stay with Dave, she'd have to stay with someone else.

Melina sat her duffel bag to the side and brought her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth slowly. She tried her hardest not to cry, and it paid off, fortunately. As a golden bracket on her sneaker caught her eye, a bright image appeared in her mind. It was the gold bracelet she had in her duffel bag, so she pulled it out and shifted it through her fingers, thoughtfully.

Being the thought connector that she was, the bracelet instantly made her think of her ex, Ken Anderson. She happened to know that he was staying at the Ramada Inn, which was the hotel right next to the one she _had_ been staying in with Dave. She considered asking him for a moment, but then dismissed the thought because of how crazy it was. Then again, what other option did she have?

"Ugh...do I ask him? Or not? Ken, why do you have to make things so difficult?" Melina groaned to herself, thinking she was the only person in that part of the arena. Unbeknownst to her, there was someone there to respond.

"I don't know, but I hear I'm pretty good at it," she heard, and she saw the face that had been circling her mind like a vulture approaching her from the distance. Melina shot up off the floor, blushing as he looked her over, confused. She tried to hide her embarrassment at her mis-matched outfit, and remained determined to ignore it as much as possible.

Ken was dressed in normal attire as well, with his bag in hand, about ready to leave.

"What are you doing over here?" He asked her, looking from her to the spot she had just been sitting in. Melina forced a giggle.

"Oh, you know. Just hanging out," she laughed, wrapping her arms around herself. There was a cold draft coming from an unknown source, and it seemed to be blowing right on her, making her shiver.

"I figured you'd have left by now," he acknowledged, his voice growing deeper as he took two more steps toward her. With that, she backed up two steps, instantly deploring it. This would cement the fact that something was troubling her and would ensure that he would bug her until she told him.

"What happened?" He asked her immediately after she stepped back. Melina decided there was no point in trying to keep it from him. Besides, she needed a place to stay, and he was proving to be her only hope.

"I had a fight with Dave," she admitted, before stopping short. Hadn't she just had this same conversation with Dave a couple of hours earlier? Was it impossible for her not to fight with the men in her life?

"What did he do?" Ken asked, a dark swirl in his eyes as he stepped closer to her protectively. Melina looked exasperated.

"He didn't do anything. Why do you always assume that? He just said something that pissed me off," Melina replied, gaining a bit more comfort in his company.

"Then why aren't you with him?" Ken asked, suspecting that there was more to the story than she was telling him.

"I figured I'd make him sweat it out for a while," she said, a devious smirk appearing on her face. Little did he know, it was just a front. It was true that Dave's comment had pissed her off, but more than that, it had scared the hell out of her. But Ken didn't have to know everything.

"Hmm, right. So, where are you going to stay? With Mickie?" Ken wondered out loud, seemingly only making light conversation. Melina's eyes widened, and she shook her head.

"Oh, Jillian, then?" He continued, sure that she would've been staying with Mickie.

"Uh, n-no..." Melina stammered, linking her fingers together uncomfortably. They had been together for three years, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him for this favor.

"You need a place to stay, don't you?" Ken inquired, with a smile. She frowned, ashamed, but nodded. He chuckled, finding her embarrassment slightly endearing.

"Thanks for the sympathy," she answered coldly, grabbing her duffel bag and gliding past him. He caught her by the elbow gently, spinning her around to face.

"Calm down, Mel. You always get so mad over nothing. If you need a place to crash, I have a place for you," he replied, giving her a warm gaze. She returned it, all the while wondering how he could be so unphased by the fact that he had unexpectedly kissed her just twenty minutes earlier.

"Thanks," was all she could muster to say in response, as she allowed him to lead her out of the arena and to his car.

So, she had some things to think about. The main thing on her mind was how she was going to deal with staying with Ken after what had happened. Another thing was how she would quell the butterflies in her stomach every time she saw him. She certainly had an interesting night ahead of her.

**A/N:** LOL this chapter took me for freaking EVER! It was so hard to write, but I finally got it out! YAY! I hope it was okay, although I think it could've been better. Anyways, peace, love and WWE.

**Nikks.**


	5. Roomies

**Mel**

**Chapter 5 - Roomies**

**A/N:** Well, Happy July 5th! LOL, for everyone in America who celebrates Independence Day, happy late 4th of July!

**Disclaimer:** With all the shocking things that happened on Raw this past week, you'd think I had some control over the WWE creative team! But alas, I'm just a young girl from Virginia hoping to make it big.

**Chapter Summary:** Ken and Melina's first night as roommates is quite interesting. They have strict sleeping arrangements, but will they go awry?

!#&()+

The ride back to the hotel was awkward and silent for both of the people in the vehicle. The vehicle being a dark green Ford Taurus, and the people being Ken Anderson and Melina Perez. Ken was driving, and occasionally, he'd lay his hand on the console, accidentally grazing Melina's very softly.

He would jerk his hand away every time this happened, but he absent-mindedly kept doing it. Melina risked a smile every time, hoping he couldn't see her face in the twilight.

Finally, Ken pulled the car into the parking lot of the Ramada Inn and they both got out, retrieving their respective duffel bags and heading inside.

The overly glamorous hotels seen during her travels never ceased to amaze Melina. This one happened to have an inground swimming pool right in the lobby. Luckily, it was far enough away from the door to where no one would have any little accidents. Unluckily, Ken didn't bother to notice there was a pool in the lobby, and walked right over the edge and into the water.

He made a moderately sized splash and his duffel bag's contents soon covered the bottom of the pool. When he resurfaced, his face was blood red out of anger and perhaps embarrassment. He glanced at Melina, whose mouth was wide open in shock, but quickly curled into a smile. She covered her mouth with her hand to hide her stifled laughter.

"Aren't you gonna help me out?" He asked her, water spewing from his mouth as he did so. Melina put her hands up.

"I don't want to strip you of any dignity you may have left," she chuckled, but swaggered forward anyway. He raised an eyebrow at her, before diving to the bottom a few times to collect his spilled items. When Melina finally extended her hand and helped him out, they turned to the front desk to see the clerk glaring at them.

"I'd like to check in now, if you don't mind," Ken yelled toward the man, not appreciating the look on his face. Melina rolled her eyes, but smirked anyway. Some things would never change...

"Finally, home sweet home," Ken exclaimed when they finally reached their room, ignoring the water incessantly dripping from him. Melina followed him inside, taking in the pleasant patterns of the room. The overall color scheme was a creamy, light orange, and the room was quite big.

"Whatcha think?" Ken questioned her from a distance, obviously seeking her approval. She decided to toy with him.

"I think you're acting like you own this place. It's just a hotel room, remember? We just stay here until we fly to another hotel," she replied, surprised that he was not used to this occurrence.

"Well, we might as well make it comfortable while we're here," Ken responded, not as affected by her words as she'd hoped. She decided to drop the games. He was being pretty damn tolerant in letting her stay with him, and she wouldn't show him anything other than gratitude and thanks.

"You should probably get changed," she suggested to him, noting the fact that he was soaking wet with pool water. He glimpsed at her blankly for a minute, before looking down at his shirt.

"Oh yeah," he muttered. Melina shook her head at the fact that he had actually forgotten. He could be such a man sometimes.

Without a word of caution, Ken pulled his shirt over his head, and ran a hand over his wet hair. His torso shone with tiny water droplets that embodied the light from the lamps, and Melina had to bite her lip and look away to distract herself.

"I meant in the bedroom. Not right in front of me," she informed him loudly, her back to him. She heard him laugh.

"We were together for three years. Nothing you haven't seen before," he answered, an oh-so-obviously amused tone to his husky voice.

She shot him an annoyed look over her shoulder and placed her hands on her hips, tapping her sneaker against the hardwood floor.

"Look. I get that this is your hotel room and I'm staying with you, but for God's sake, Ken--" she began angrily, about to go into an insufferable rant, but Ken decided to quell her worries and cut her off right there.

"Chill out, Mel. I will go into the bedroom if you want to be a little girl about this," he sighed, but not before unbuckling the belt from his jeans while she was still looking. With that, he finally did walk away, expelling an irate grunt from his female companion.

She was beginning to regret her decision to stay with him. He just acted so immaturely and remiss, sometimes. That was the main reason they had broken up, and while he didn't see his childishness as a big deal, she did.

Moments later, he emerged from the bedroom area, clad in a pair of jeans and an 'Affliction' t-shirt. He held his arms out away from his body.

"Happy?" He asked her, to which she decided not to respond.

"So...are we going to talk about what happened earlier?" She inquired aloud, hoping to get to the bottom of the incident.

"You mean the pool thing? I'd rather not," he answered, hopping over the back of the couch and landing on the soft cushions in a laying position.

"No, not the pool thing. The match thing. What happened at the end of the match. You remember, right?" She went on, approaching the couch, and leaning over the back to peer down at him.

"Um...it's a little vague. Mind refreshing my memory?" He laughed, gazing up at her with a mock-hopeful expression. She knotted her eyebrows together and closed her eyes in annoyance. Her agitation worsened as he started to crack his infamous white gum. She wanted to shoved her hand inside his mouth and snatch it away from him for a moment, but thought better of it.

"Why did you kiss me?" She said flat-out, worrying about what his response would be. He looked away from her and toward the television, which was off.

"It was on the playout sheet," he told her, busying himself by sliding the remote control back and forth across the coffee table. Melina narrowed her eyes at him, suspiciously.

"That's it?" She replied, folding her arms across the back of the couch.

"Yup," he stated shortly, looking back at her abruptly. She smiled at him undoubtedly, but the way she felt was confusing. She reprehended herself for any mixed feelings she may have had, and pushed his feet off the end of the couch to take a seat next to him.

Ken, meanwhile, was trying to decipher the odd gleam he had seen in her eyes. It was troubling to him. Could it have been... disappointment? Was the reason for the kiss not what she had hoped for? He couldn't tell.

He jokingly placed his feet back on the end of the couch, with them ending up on her lap, but she didn't react. She seemed to be lost in thought.

"Something wrong?" He asked her, distractedly shaking his feet. She turned and looked at him emphatically, shaking her head.

"O...k, so did you want to watch TV, or something?" He added boredly, obviously trying to find something to do.

"Sure," Melina said, staring at the device, blankly. She folded her arms atop his legs, which still rested on her lap, and snuggled against the arm of the couch. Ken watched her do this with a grin, which is what he had always done when they went through this routine. Of course, the last time they did this was two months previously, before they broke up.

Melina discharged a comfortable breath, and felt the tension between them melt away. She was happy they could do this with no awkward movements and without exchanging blank expressions. She sighed again, but this time, because Ken turned the channel to one playing the show '24'.

"Oh no..." she groaned playfully, and he knew the reason all too well.

"Well, I do love 24," he told her, placing his arms behind his head to prop it up.

"Yeah, I know," she replied, sharing a smile-turned-laugh with him.

About twenty minutes into the show, Ken noted that Melina fell asleep, as her breaths began to get deeper and slower. He chuckled to himself as she started to murmur, almost as if she were talking to somebody.

He ceased all further sounds as he thought he heard his name. He was quick to mute the television, and lift his legs off of her gently, so he wouldn't wake her. He crawled very close to her, his face mere centimeters from hers, so he could hear any sound she made should she have made one.

He jumped backwards as her eyes fluttered open, and he hit the floor with a thud. Her eyes were squinted from being suddenly hit with light, and she scratched her head tiredly.

"What are you doing?" She asked him, her eyes patrolling over his fixed position on the floor.

"Uh...just seeing if you were asleep," he lied, using the coffee table that he had fortunately avoided to get back up.

"Oh. Yeah...I guess I'm wiped out," she chuckled, her voice resembling a child's who may have just been woken up to go to school. She raised her arms over her head to yawn and stretch and Ken grinned. A lot of the things she did made him smile, and he seldom even noticed it.

"I guess we should go to bed. We have to fly to Denver tomorrow, which will be tiring. You can take my bed if you want," Ken offered, to which she shook her head politely.

"No, I'm perfectly comfortable on the couch. You know me. I can sleep anywhere," she replied. It was true. She had no trouble falling asleep in any place that it was attempted, while Ken had a lot of problems. His back would usually start to hurt from sleeping on couches or any other type of furniture other then a bed.

"Oh, okay. If you're sure. Guess I'll head that way, then. If you need anything, let me know. Goodnight," he responded, as though eager to go to sleep.

"Night," Melina echoed, already curling up on the couch. She sighed as she closed her eyes, and heard his heavy footsteps fading away into the bedroom. As soon as she heard the door close, she felt herself smile, and she had no idea why. What was she? A teenager? And why did the thought of him make her smile? Why was it the same way for him?

She physically shook her head. She would not allow herself to think such things. She was in a relationship with someone else, and it wasn't right. She and Ken were only friends, and it seemed to be working out that way. But...what about just hours earlier when Ken had told her he loved her? And then a while after that when he kissed her? She snuggled against the back of the couch, feeling oddly lonely with no one to wrap her arms around to go to sleep. That, added in with the thoughts of Ken troubled her understandably.

Could she just forget those things so quickly?

Apparently so, because she fell asleep soon after, with the thoughts of his words and that kiss still in her head.

An uncertain amount of time later, she awoke to sunlight streaming over her face. She felt like she had only been sleeping a few minutes, but that was obviously not the case if she was experiencing full-blown daylight. She moaned groggily and couldn't help but notice that the scene in front of her was not the one she had fallen asleep looking at. She pressed her back against the back of the couch, only to find that it was not stationary. It moved when she touched it.

Melina furrowed her eyebrows and reached her hand back to touch it. She felt warmth and nothing relatively close to fabric. She turned her upper body to the right to shed some light on the situation, and came face-to-face with a fast asleep Ken Anderson. The shock she suddenly felt played out through her eyes, and she clasped a hand to her mouth. This was not the couch of the hotel room. It was the _bed_. How in the world had she gotten there?

**A/N:** LOL...oookay. That was quite interesting. Haha, anyway, sorry it took me so long to update! I'm getting bad about that. :( But I hope everyone had a bunch of fun yesterday and got to see lots of fireworks! :)

**Nikks**


	6. Personal Fight Club

**Mel**

**Chapter 6 - Personal Fight Club**

**A/N:** Hi all! Nikki here, bringing you chapter 6!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own World Wrestling Entertainment, because I am a frog. Well, not really.

**Chapter Summary:** Ken realizes he and Melina have different flights, and Melina finds that Dave is on hers. Ken can only speculate...

!#&()+

"What the hell?!" Melina exclaimed, still unable to believe that she and Ken were in the same bed. Ken stirred, obviously not awakened with as much concern for his comfort as Melina had been. As Ken's cloudy, green eyes opened and fell upon her, he looked thoroughly perplexed at the situation.

"What am I doing in your bed?" Melina squealed, throwing off the covers and jumping into a standing position on the floor.

"Hell if I know," Ken replied, sitting up before resting his throbbing head in his hand. Melina's head of messy curls whipped around the room, searching for the answer as though it would be on one of the walls. She looked from Ken, to the window, to the door and everywhere in between, sorting through all the possibilities.

"We didn't...?" She asked him suggestively, still breathing heavily at her sudden movement. His head shot up to face her, and he shook his head.

"No, of course not. You probably just walked in here last night," he said, getting out of bed as well. Melina responded with incredulous laughter.

"Yeah right! Why would I do that?" She wondered, understandably upset with the incident. She was, after all, in a relationship with another man.

"I don't know! Maybe you were sleepwalking," Ken stated, pulling a t-shirt on, sarcastically assuming that Melina would become hysterical otherwise.

Melina's mouth fell open, and she started nodding vigorously.

"Yeah, that has to be what happened. I'm sure you're right," she agreed, her fears becoming calmed ever so slightly. It seemed a little strange though. She had never once been a sleepwalker before. Why now?

Melina glanced at Ken's alarm clock to see that it was 7:18 in the morning, and she remembered an errand that she'd forgotten to run.

"What is it?" Ken questioned her, noticing the pensive expression she had.

"I forgot I had to go back to the other hotel to get the rest of my stuff. Hopefully, Dave will be gone before I get there," Melina stated firmly, not in any mood to see Dave. Her morning was already off to a rough start, or so she wanted to think. There was a slight sense of comfort and being well rested that she had not experienced in quite a while.

"Want me to go with you just in case?" Ken asked, his voice still sounding very tired. Melina gave him a small smile.

"Nah, it's cool. I'll be fine," she answered, taking a small hair tie from her wrist and piling her hair up on top of her head in a sloppy bun.

"But, aren't you two on the same flight? On a...different flight than...me?" Ken inquired, his sleepy mind coming to a startling realization mid-thought. Melina stared at him and groaned, and any small twinge of happiness she had acquired had been chased into a dark corner.

"I guess there's no getting out of that. Hopefully, he'll have enough sense not to say a word to me," Melina grumbled, folding her arms against her chest.

"He better not say anything," Ken muttered under his breath. He wasn't ashamed to admit it. He was beyond worried about her being on the same plane as Dave without him there. However, his specific intentions on that subject were blurry, even to himself. Was he worried that Dave might threaten or hurt Melina? Or was he worried that something completely opposite of that would happen? That they might patch things up?

Melina grimaced at how unclean she felt. She had never gotten the chance to take a shower the previous day, and most of her clean clothes were at Dave's hotel.

"I need a shower," she thought aloud, holding her arms out to circulate some cool air to the skin that was covered by her loose hoodie.

"Take one," Ken said shortly, moving around some of the items on the bedside table distractedly. Melina fought the urge to scold him about his attitude, but she knew he was always like this in the morning.

"The only thing I have to put on afterwards is a pair of jeans. I don't have a clean shirt," she whined, fanning her face with her hand. There was an oddly warm atmosphere in the bedroom. Ken made a sound of understanding, before resorting to pawing through his suitcase, as though looking for something. He took a second to look up at her.

"T-shirt okay?" He asked, to which she nodded.

As usual, she felt the urge to chuckle at this. It felt kind of odd to know she was going to be wearing his clothes, probably because most girls only did this with their boyfriend's clothes.

Much to Melina's chagrin, Ken pulled out a blue and black Mr. Kennedy t-shirt. She took it, but only reluctantly. As she turned to go into the bathroom, she couldn't help but speak her mind.

"Dave is just gonna love this," she sighed, worriedly. She could've swore she heard Ken snickering behind her.

After the steamy shower lifted her spirits, as well as her cleanliness, Melina changed into her favorite pair of jeans as well as the shirt Ken had given her. She caught a look at herself in the mirror and had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing at the sight of Mr. Kennedy's giant mirrored K's glaring from her stomach and chest.

She tried to ignore the comical irony, and retrieved her hair brush, struggling to force through the tangled knots her hair had become, before deciding to let it air-dry.

She winced at herself in the mirror, remembering that she wasn't wearing any make-up. She took to literally running out of the bathroom, searching for her gym bag. She found it near the living room area, next to the couch where Ken sat, watching cartoons.

Ken looked at her, exasperated, and got off the couch as she ran for the bag. He jumped in front of the bag, preventing her from getting to it. She glared up at him, annoyed.

"Whatcha doin'?" He asked, chewing on that God-forsaken gum. Melina groaned. This was so...like him in every way.

"I'm trying to get to my bag, if you don't mind," she answered, struggling to get around him. He held out his arms to keep her in place.

"Actually, I do. You're not going in your bag for make-up, are ya? Ya see, I'm not gonna let you cover up that pretty face of yours," he stated, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face. Melina narrowed her eyes at him evilly, but then softened under his gaze.

"Aw, you think I'm pretty? That's nice and everything, but seriously, move..." she replied, before making another attempt to slide around him. He stepped to the left, still blocking her path.

"Very funny Ken. I need my bag," she persisted, crossing her arms.

"You're going to have to fight me for it," Ken told her in a low tone, raising an eyebrow to indicate that he was only intending to have a playful fight.

She widened her eyes at him.

"Oh really? I don't know if you can handle it. I've been training like crazy and I've gotten really good. Plus, let's face it. You're getting old," she remarked teasingly. He seemed to jokingly take offense to that statement, and he grabbed her around the waist and flipped her onto the couch.

She giggled breathlessly, her mouth wide in surprise.

"Hey! That's a foul! I wasn't ready yet," she uttered, caught off guard.

"There are no rules in our personal fight club," Ken requited. He rolled over the back of the couch, intending to land on her and tickle her into submission, but as soon as he landed, she turned the tables on him.

She somehow gathered a plethora of strength, taking him by the collar of his shirt and throwing him off of her. Haphazardly, she forgot to let go, and she went to the floor with him. She couldn't help but laugh, as she ended up hovering over him, their bodies pressed very tightly together. Melina's hands were fixed in an upward position beneath her, while Ken's hands landed neatly on the small of her back.

Melina's laugh faded into a mere smile, as the moment seemed to go on longer than she'd intended. Ken's face simply showed an unknowable, yet intense emotion. His hand reached up slowly, sweeping a thick portion of Melina's damp hair from her eyes, his fingers brushing the skin from her cheek all the way to her ear.

At this, Melina had to bring the moment to an end. She darted her head back and forth uncomfortably, before climbing off of him without any look in his direction. His hands unlinked to let her up, but only after a few seconds.

"Anyway, we should probably head down to breakfast. I think Mickie and Jillian are staying here," Melina stated awkwardly, as he sat up as though waking from a long nap.

"Sure, sure," Ken replied, still trapped in the weighty significance of the moment that had passed.

Melina didn't know what was more disturbing. The moment they'd just had or the fact that she had to force herself to feel awkward about it. She reached for her gym bag, but Ken placed his hand over hers gently, once again keeping her from her make-up.

"Seriously, though. You look beautiful without any make-up. Don't bother with it. Let's just head down to the restaurant," he echoed his earlier opinion, before removing her hand to let her decide for herself.

She gave him a contemplative look, before releasing the duffel bag and rising to full height.

"Okay. I guess you're right. Let's go," she said, sharing a small grin with him. With that, they both headed out.

**A/N:** Was that up to snuff? I'm not thinking so. I was incredibly distracted while writing it, but I need to put something up since I'm lagging behind so much. Eep! On a note unrelated to my writing career, how awesome was Ken on Smackdown? I loved his crowd teasing. "Just seeing if you guys were ready." HEHE I love him. Where the heck was Jeff? I'd like to know. Did I miss him or something?


	7. Breakfast and InFlight Entertainment

**Mel**

**Chapter 7 - Breakfast, Hotels and In-Flight Entertainment**

**A/N:** What a long chapter title. I hope it will fit in the box. Anyway, TADAAAA!! Here's chapter 7! I pulled it out of a hat. No, seriously; I'm a magician. Well, after the lovely reviews I got for chapter 6, I wanted to start this right away! xD

**Disclaimer:** I don't own WWE, or the wrestlers, blah blah blah. Who really reads this?

**Chapter Summary:** Ken is left to ponder the fate of Dave and Melina, while hoping for the worst. When he lands in Denver, Melina drives him to make a spur of the moment proposition to one Mickie James.

!#&()+

Breakfast was a pleasant experience for the two WWE employees who were blindly sharing a room together, as they were surrounded by friends, and Dave wasn't around.

For the first time since they had gotten back together, Melina finally noticed that Dave would always choose a separate hotel from everyone else. Was he trying to isolate her? Was he trying to keep her from seeing her friends? She tried not to think about it, as she, Ken, Adam, Randy, Jeff, Jillian and Mickie all sat around a crowded restaurant table, laughing and having fun together. Melina hadn't had this much fun in a long while, and the same could be said for Ken.

"I feel like I haven't talked to you guys like this in so long," Melina announced to the group, instantly regretting her words, as she was met with sympathetic looks. She just smiled, and lowered her eyes to her nearly untouched plate of bacon, eggs and toast. She hadn't done much eating seeing as how she had been laughing so much.

Mickie and Jillian each squeezed one of her hands, as they were on either side of her, and they enclosed her in a group hug.

"You haven't! I'm so glad you're finally out with us again like old times!" Jillian squealed, her and Mickie both on the verge of tears.

"Looks like our table got hit with a sudden wave of estrogen," Adam cringed, wanting no part of it. Ken faked a tear rolling down his cheek, and he started sniffing as though he had been crying.

"G-G-Gee Adam...d-did you miss m-me that much?!" Ken jokingly asked, trying to hug Adam, who pushed him away.

"Okay, what did they put in the damn orange juice?" Adam yelled, struggling to pry Ken's arms off of him.

Melina struggled to hold back her tears, although she wanted to cry with her friends. But she found it a little on the brink of overreacting. Maybe she spent a bit too much time with Dave, but they were being kind of ridiculous.

"Well, hate to enjoy good times and run, but I've got to get to the hotel and pick up my luggage before my flight. I'm gonna have to go," Melina declared sadly, getting up from the table.

She groaned inwardly, as devastated faces gazed up at her.

"You sure you don't want me to go?" Ken asked her one last time.

"I'm sure," she stated flatly, her friends taking turns to hug her. When, at last, she arrived at Ken, she smiled and encircled his waist with her arms. The only response she got was a single hand on her back, and then he turned away. The way he avoided her eyes worried her, and it showed on her face. She decided to leave it alone, granting the group one more goodbye, before she darted across the street to the other hotel.

Luckily, it was incredibly close and within walking distance. Unluckily, Melina had to cross a busy intersection, which was not so easy to do in Los Angeles. Still, she faired rather well, being a native of the City of Angels, and made it to the other side in an alarmingly small amount of time.

As she entered the marble lobby, a rush of cool air hit her face, and she strolled up to the front desk with a new wave of courage.

"Excuse me sir. I'm here to pick up some luggage that I left here with my...ahem...boyfriend," Melina told the desk clerk, who nodded politely.

"Was your boyfriend in room 514?" He implored, to which she nodded.

"All right, well, Mr. Bautista has left for the day, but he had your luggage brought down. Shall I call a cab for you, ma'am?" He continued, pointing to a luggage cart filled with her familiar purple suitcases.

"Yes, but just a minute. I need something from my bag first," she responded.

With that, she approached the cart and grabbed the bag she knew to have some clothes in it and headed toward the bathroom. She peeled off Ken's shirt, and replaced it with a black halter top that suited her much more. She glanced at the 'Talk Loud, Hit Harder' t-shirt and elected to stuff it into the bag she had.

After finally getting a cab and forcing all of her luggage into it, Melina began the mildly lengthy journey to LAX, Los Angeles' main airport.

Upon arriving, checking her large luggage, and entering her plane from the gate, Melina was finally able to take a load off in her comfortable airplane seat. She breathed loudly, and turned to look out the window, only to see a rather large, tan head blocking her view.

"Mel," the head said, facing her fully. Melina's face suddenly turned serious.

"Dave," she called out in a low voice.

!#&()+

Half an hour after Melina's plane took off, Ken and the friends she had left at the restaurant were all boarding their own flight to Denver. Settling into their first class surroundings, the Divas attempted to make light conversation, but there was only one thing on Ken's mind.

'_I wonder what's going on with Dave and Mel..._' he thought to himself. Unlike Dave, he actually could think without saying anything out loud.

"Idiot," Ken muttered to himself.

"Hmm?" Mickie asked him, not catching what he had said. Ken looked at her blankly and shook his head, signifying that it was nothing of importance.

!#&()+

"I really don't know if I want to forgive you," Melina admitted, crossing her arms and staring fixatedly at the seat in front of her. Dave was doing just what she expected him to. Begging for her forgiveness.

"I completely understand. You have every right to feel that way. What I said was horrible, and it should have never been said. I can't apologize enough for it. The only thing I can do is try to make it up to you by treating you as wonderfully as you deserve to be treated. I promise you I will never say or do a negative thing to you again," he stated, at which she finally looked at him.

She smiled slightly, because the plight seemed to become lighter, and the situation felt more comfortable.

"What about my friends? You'll understand if I want to spend a lot of time with them?" Melina questioned him.

"Of course, baby. Spend all the time with them you need," he replied, returning her warm smile.

"Including Ken? Because, regardless of what you might think, he and I are only friends," Melina added, giving him a hopeful look.

And, that's when saw it. A shimmer of doubt in his eyes, but she expected nothing else.

"Um, yeah. Ken too," he told her, forcing another smile. Melina bounced up and down in her seat happily, ecstatic that they could reach a compromise. She hugged him and kissed his cheek, not noticing that he seemed quite distracted.

"I'll be right back!" She told him, taking her purse and running to the bathroom.

She felt the need to call her friends and tell them what just happened. Excited, she locked the bathroom door and dialed Mickie's number, hoping her friend's cell phone was on.

!#&()+

Everyone in the first class section of Ken's flight looked around at each other in confusion, as 'Shake It' by Metro Station began to play from an unknown source, sounding a bit muffled.

Mickie blushed, embarrassed, taking her cell phone out of her pocket and answering it, noting that Melina was the caller.

"Mickie, guess what just happened!" Mickie heard Melina say, unable to even say "Hello?"

"What?!" Mickie exclaimed. Ken turned to face her, alarmed at her outburst.

"Dave and I got back together!" Melina told her friend, blissfully.

"WHAT?!" Mickie repeated, not easy Ken's bad feeling any.

"Yeah! He was just being sooo sweet. He was acting like he did when I first met him, I had to forgive him!" Melina informed Mickie, unaware that Mickie was having a negative reaction to this.

"What did he do in the first place?" Mickie implored, only to receive dead silence. When Melina did answer, it wasn't the answer Mickie was hoping for.

"That's not important, now. But, I just wanted to call and let you know! I'll see you in Denver, hun!" Melina replied, hanging up without waiting for Mickie's farewell.

Mickie clicked her phone shut and groaned, annoyed.

"And people think Maria's a ditz!" She said aloud, ignoring odd looks from other people. She was simply irritated with her friend's lack of judgment.

"What happened?" Ken asked her fervently, hoping Dave hadn't done something to Melina.

"The ditz and the 'roid head are back together..." Mickie trailed off regretfully, staring blankly ahead.

Ken clenched his teeth and forced a sorrowful sigh through them, which Mickie noticed. Mickie felt for the guy. If anyone belonged with Melina, it was him. Mickie still had no idea why Melina was even wasting her time with Dave, when she had someone as great as Ken wrapped around her finger.

"That sucks," Ken finally said, knowing he didn't have to hide his displeasure with the situation seeing as how Melina wasn't on the same plane.

"I know! Mel can be so stupid sometimes!" Mickie protested, leaning as far back into her chair as possible.

"I need to move on, but I can't bring myself to do it. She pisses me off so much. She's the queen of mixed signals. I wish I could get back at her and show her what it's like to be forgotten for no reason," Ken said mischievously.

"Yeah," Mickie agreed, her anger waning as she seemed to find something interesting in the carpet pattern.

Abruptly, a thought ripped through Ken's mind like a tornado, causing a mess of destruction formerly known as his other thoughts. He glanced sideways at Mickie once again. She was really the only flaw in his plan, should she say no. He figured there was no hope in his plan being successful if he didn't ask her, so he took a breath and went for it.

"I think I know a way to get back at her...but I would need your help," Ken said, laughing inwardly at the curious expression on Mickie's face.

"I'm listening," Mickie replied, resting her head atop her closed fist, facing him fully.

"Well, she's obviously moved on, but I wonder what she would think if I got a girlfriend..." Ken trailed off, the possibilites panning themselves out like a movie in his head.

"Ooh! That would put her in her place! I bet she'd be jealous. But...wait, what does this have to do with--ohhh," Mickie started to ask, but not needing to finish the question. She and Ken understood each other finally.

"You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?" Mickie asked him, at which he nodded. Mickie gaped at him for a moment. She was a bit put off at his request, but she decided not to answer until she thought about it seriously for a minute.

She understood that Ken wanted a tiny slice of revenge, but what good would it do? Would it really give Ken closure? Well, if Melina would get as jealous as Mickie assumed, maybe he wouldn't need closure. Maybe she'd finally kick Dave to the curb and come back to Ken where she really belonged. Mickie knew in her heart that Melina still loved him.

Ken may have had a plan, but Mickie was developing one of her own.

"So, will you do it?" He asked her hopefully, interrupting her thoughts. Mickie pursed her lips, and smiled.

"Yeah, okay. Maybe Mel will finally learn her lesson," she answered, sharing a smile with him.

The next day would certainly be interesting...

**A/N:** I finally got this up. Thank God it's over!! The end was brutally challenging. :(


End file.
